Barbados vs Heard and McDonald Islands
Barbados is 19% larger than Heard and McDonald Islands.
BarbadosHeard and McDonald IslandsBarbados moved onto Heard and McDonald Islands · Equal-area projection
1.19×
Barbados is 1.19× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
 Barbados |  Heard and McDonald Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBarbados: 1.19× the area | 439 km²#183 of 194 | 368 km² |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 0 |
| People | ||
| Population | 282,623#174 of 194 · 2025 | — |
| Density | 644 / km²#8 of 194 | — |
| Urban population | 60%#106 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.71 per woman#117 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Population growth | +0.06%#154 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Birth rate | 11.1 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Death rate | 10.2 per 1,000#32 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Children under 15 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| People over 65 | 17.1%#45 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Net migration | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Refugees abroad | 2.04 per 1,000#41 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | 76.3 years#75 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Infant mortality | 9.1 per 1,000 births#115 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Doctors | 2.96 per 1,000#61 of 178 · 2022 | — |
| University enrolment | 50.8%#75 of 145 · 2025 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.811#68 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $27,080#42 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $8.02B2025 | — |
| Income group | High income | — |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $25,894#77 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +2.7%#111 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +0.8%#147 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 6.5%#65 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Extreme poverty | 1.7%#76 of 149 · 2016 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 34.1#78 of 149 · 2016 | — |
| Jobs in agriculture | 1.2% of jobs#166 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in industry | 16.2% of jobs#127 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in services | 82.6% of jobs#8 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Foreign investment | 3.4% of GDP#58 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 70%#118 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptions | 115 per 100#96 of 191 · 2022 | — |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 15% of land#133 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| CO₂ per person | 2.52 t a year#93 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energy | 5.5%#157 of 190 · 2022 | — |
| Access to electricity | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 10.9 µg/m³#147 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected land | 1.1% of land#183 of 191 · 2025 | — |
| Arable land | 16.2% of land#66 of 190 · 2024 | — |
| Water stress | 87.5%#20 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 1,422 mm#63 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | +1.28#14 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Control of corruption | +1.23#24 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Homicide rate | 7.4 per 100,000#36 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Territory of Australia |
| Government | Parliamentary republicparliamentary republic; a Commonwealth realm | Dependent territory |
| Capital | Bridgetown | — |
| Currency | Barbadian dollar (BBD) | — |
| Official languages | English, Bajan Creole | English |
| Traffic drives | On the left | — |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC+5 |
| Calling code | +1 246 | — |
| Region | Caribbean, North America | Seven seas (open ocean) |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Barbados sits at about 13° N and is stretched to 1.05× its true area; Heard and McDonald Islands at 53° S is stretched to 2.77×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Barbados. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Barbados bigger than Heard and McDonald Islands?
- Yes. Barbados is 19% larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Barbados covers 439 km² and Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km².
- How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into Barbados?
- About 1.2 times: Barbados has 1.19× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
- Why do Barbados and Heard and McDonald Islands look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Barbados is drawn about 1.05× its true area there and Heard and McDonald Islands about 2.77×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Barbados. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- What kind of government do Barbados and Heard and McDonald Islands have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Barbados: parliamentary republic; Heard and McDonald Islands: dependent territory.